RESTON, VA — December 5, 2016 — Today Clarabridge, Inc., the leading provider of Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions for the world’s top brands, announced the appointment of Mark Bishof as Chief Executive Officer. Bishof, an accomplished software executive with a proven track record of growth and results, will focus on guiding the company to continue to meet and exceed growth goals while overseeing day-to-day management of the company and executive team.

As part of the transition, current Clarabridge CEO Yuchun Lee will reassume his previous role as Executive Chairman of the Board, where he will continue to provide counsel and oversight of the corporate strategy, objectives and results.

Over the last year, Lee has set the course for success at Clarabridge, driving continued momentum and scale. The company has accelerated growth and over-performed against its 2016 goals. Clarabridge has also achieved additional leadership rankings with industry analysts, been awarded additional patents, rolled out industry specific-solutions, and expanded its work with companies on the forefront of customer experience (CX) like Lufthansa, Porsche Cars North America, Cigna Corporation, Iceland Air and many more. The addition of Bishof, with his proven successes in growing software companies, underscores the company’s commitment to innovation and customer success. Clarabridge continues on a trajectory to help even more companies to achieve world-class and successful CX programs.

Bishof is a seasoned executive with significant experience in scaling software companies to achieve record revenue figures. As President and CEO of Flexera Software, Bishof spent 10 years growing the company from $200m to over $1B in enterprise value. Prior to that, Bishof held executive positions at Macrovision, IBM, Deloitte Consulting, Crossworlds Software and Booz, Allen & Hamilton. He is also an Operating Partner at Thoma Bravo.

“Clarabridge is an exciting company with blue chip customers and a team that is passionate about helping companies optimize CX. I am thrilled to join a company that is setting the industry standard,” said Mark Bishof, CEO. “Customer Experience Management is an important emerging market, and Clarabridge is at the forefront by providing its customers with the most comprehensive CX solution. I look forward to joining such a talented and dedicated team, and believe that together we will continue Clarabridge’s upward trajectory.”

“I can confidently say that there is no one better poised or experienced than Mark to continue Clarabridge’s momentum and take the business to new heights,” said Yuchun Lee, Clarabridge’s Executive Chairman. “Mark is a team builder who prides himself on execution and operational excellence, and shares Clarabridge’s passion for ensuring customers success. I’m delighted to welcome such a seasoned executive with a proven track record to the Clarabridge team.”

About Clarabridge
Clarabridge’s SaaS customer experience management solution helps hundreds of the world’s leading brands put customer feedback to work. Offering the most comprehensive solution for omni-source listening, accurate customer and text analytics, and real-time, guided action is why leading brands trust Clarabridge to power their CX programs and drive a customer focused strategy. The result: better customer experiences. For more information, visit www.clarabridge.com.

]]>HGP – Racemi Reduces Cloud Migration Times by 60 Percent with Upgraded DynaCenter Producthttp://www.harbert.net/hgp-racemi-reduces-cloud-migration-times-by-60-percent-with-upgraded-dynacenter-product/
Wed, 30 Nov 2016 19:43:14 +0000http://www.harbert.net/?p=3531LAS VEGAS, Nov. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Racemi, the expert in seamless cloud migration, today announced key upgrades to its DynaCenter product and expansion of the company’s capability to facilitate application migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS). Improvements to DynaCenter include up to 60 percent faster migrations, support for single tenant server environments and new region availability in Frankfurt and Sydney through the AWS Marketplace.

DynaCenter now supports dedicated instances in AWS, ideal for enterprises that need single tenant environments in the cloud. The new capability also enables bring your own license (BYOL) for enterprise customers who want to move their infrastructure to AWS without having to repurchase licenses for their Microsoft Enterprise applications. These enhancements were developed in response to the enterprise market’s rapid adoption of cloud and designed to allow Racemi to meet its customers where they are on their cloud journey, ensuring that the move to the AWS is as automated and as seamless as possible.

Racemi has experienced tremendous momentum this year in their partnerships with major global SIs like Accenture, Deloitte and CSC. The relationship with CSC in particular highlights the strategic focus and investment CSC and Racemi have made to accelerate cloud adoption. Together, they provide the expertise and technology to enable customers to rapidly migrate enterprise workloads to private and public clouds. The traction made with CSC illustrates Racemi’s ability to lead clients’ transition to the digital enterprise.

“There is no question that adoption of public cloud services is continuing to rise, with Gartner projecting 16.5 percent growth in 2016 to total $204 billion,” said Lawrence Guillory, CEO of Racemi. “Enterprise CIOs are finding that they need to drive continued innovation, which means that they must embrace digital transformation or risk falling behind to their competitors. More and more, we are seeing larger enterprise organizations realizing the value of cloud, faster, through rehosting. This was the motivation behind expanding our services and GSI partnerships. Racemi wants to provide cloud enablement strategies that blend rehosting alongside replatforming. Our experience proves that this will result in lower project costs and improved project predictability for our customers.”

In recent months, Racemi has also achieved recognition as an AWS Competency Partner for workload mobility technology, which can currently be downloaded in the AWS Marketplace practically free of charge. DynaCenter is just one part of Racemi’s holistic approach to enterprise migrations. Already offering services for every phase of cloud migration, from planning and discovery to cut-over, the company will announce support for additional cloud environments early next year as well as migration services bundles to serve the mid-market.

Helsinki – 30th November 2016 – MultiTaction, the leading provider of advanced visualisation solutions, today announced that it has secured an additional round of growth capital funding of €7million from Harbert European Growth Capital Fund (HEGCF).

In the last financial year, MultiTaction has significantly grown its business at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 50%. Building on this momentum, MultiTaction will use the funding to further accelerate growth of its MT Canvus software platform for real-time collaboration and big data analytics.

The MultiTaction platform offers a completely unique solution for all large organisations that are struggling today to leverage the vast sums invested in taming big data challenges. The investment will play a key role in fuelling an accelerated growth strategy for MultiTaction with particular emphasis on markets in Asia, Germany and the UK. Current investments in research and development will be expanded in order to speed time to market on new software developments along with market entry into key verticals such as medical technology and security.

MT Canvus can sit on top of both the award winning ultra-responsive MultiTaction interactive video wall technology as well as other touch devices. The solution is used by organisations globally in more than 50 countries and leveraged by some of the world’s leading corporate brands to gain operational insights from their big data investments through collaborative analytics; to engage clients by showcasing their solutions through an interactive platform and to increase productivity through socialising and educating staff on new operations, processes and products.

“We are impressed by the unique proposition that MultiTaction represents for its customers. The company has primarily driven growth through clients adopting the solution on a global basis. We are excited to provide growth capital to MultiTaction at a turning point in the industry, where large organisations are increasingly looking to give their businesses a competitive advantage from big data investments,” said Johan Kampe Senior Managing Director of Harbert European Growth Capital Fund (HEGCF).

“According to leading industry analysts over 80% of big data projects will fail next year and we believe that we have the solution to help organisations gain real-time insights from their big data. Harbert’s investment will help us reach into new market segments and accelerate delivery of new software solutions. We are delighted to be working with Harbert,” said Pete Malcolm, CEO of MultiTaction.

]]>HGP – Invincea Raises $10 Million in Strategic Growth Capitalhttp://www.harbert.net/hgp-invincea-raises-10-million-in-strategic-growth-capital/
Wed, 16 Nov 2016 19:38:51 +0000http://www.harbert.net/?p=3529FAIRFAX, Va., November 16, 2016 – Invincea, the machine learning next-generation antivirus company with the #1 malware detection rate in the industry, today announced that the company has raised $10 million in strategic growth capital. ORIX Growth Capital, Comerica Bank, and existing investors including Dell Ventures, New Atlantic Ventures, and Harbert Ventures contributed to the investment in Invincea, designed to accelerate its growth across all major industry verticals based on the success its next-gen antivirus security product, X by Invincea.

X by Invincea, recently evaluated by Forrester as having the highest scores possible in attack detection and prevention effectiveness criteria in The Forrester Wave™: Endpoint Security, Q4 2016 report, and consistently rated at the top in malware detection by multiple third party testing institutions, is leading the next-gen endpoint security market, significantly outperforming the traditional Anti-Virus and next-gen AV players. Invincea customers across healthcare, financial services, government, state, local and education are seeing the same leading performance results on their networks, stopping unknown malware, ransomware, and file-less malware in its tracks.

“Endpoint security represents the frontline in the fight against cyber attackers. Breaches have become commonplace among enterprises, and employee endpoints and servers are targeted more than any other type of asset,” wrote Chris Sherman, Senior Analyst at Forrester.* “The effects from these security breaches can be devastating, causing a company to lose revenue, market reputation, and market competitiveness. Unfortunately, inadequate endpoint security leaves the doors wide open to a variety of attacker techniques and tools, including malware, software exploits, and social engineering. Now, more than ever, it’s critical to have the right endpoint protection in place.”

]]>HPF – Harbert Power Fund V, LLC Acquires Interest in Large Power Portfoliohttp://www.harbert.net/hpf-harbert-power-fund-v-llc-acquires-interest-in-large-power-portfolio/
Tue, 15 Nov 2016 16:20:39 +0000http://www.harbert.net/?p=3507Birmingham, Alabama, November 15, 2016 –Harbert Power Fund V, LLC (“HPF V”), in partnership with UBS Asset Management (“UBS”) and Northwestern Mutual (“NM”), has completed the acquisition of a portfolio of power assets located throughout the United States and in Trinidad and Tobago from First Reserve and Beowulf Energy.
HPF V and its partners formed Western Generation Partners, LLC (“WGP”) to acquire thirteen fully-contracted thermal power plants with a generating capacity of 1,521 MW. The portfolio’s contracted thermal power platform serves critical capacity, energy, and steam needs, and is diversified by market, technology, and off-taker. All of the facilities benefit from long-term off-take agreements with highly-rated load serving entities and the portfolio has a weighted average remaining contract life of thirteen years.
Twelve facilities are located throughout the U.S., with eleven gas-fired assets and one diesel-fired asset representing 1,296 MW of capacity. The most significant U.S. asset is Hobbs, a 604 MW combined cycle plant in Hobbs, New Mexico, which sells all of its capacity and energy to Southwestern Public Service Company under a long-term tolling agreement through 2033.
Trinity, a 225 MW natural gas combustion turbine facility located on the island of Trinidad, sells all of its output to Trinidad and Tobago Electric Commission under a long-term tolling agreement, denominated 85% in U.S. dollars, that expires in 2029.
“We are excited to complete this important transaction with our partners UBS and NM”, said an HPF V spokesperson. “This is a proven portfolio of well-operated and managed facilities, all with contracts in place to sell their output for years to come. As the manager of WGP, we look forward to working with our partners to ensure the portfolio continues operating safely and reliably, and to seeking opportunities to improve the portfolio’s performance over time.”

]]>HGP – Kaléo Announces 2017 U.S. Return Of Auvi-Q® (Epinephrine Injection, Usp) Auto-Injector For Life-Threatening Allergic Reactionshttp://www.harbert.net/hgp-kaleo-announces-2017-u-s-return-of-auvi-q-epinephrine-injection-usp-auto-injector-for-life-threatening-allergic-reactions/
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:29:36 +0000http://www.harbert.net/?p=3523RICHMOND, VA. (October 26, 2016) – Kaléo, a privately-held pharmaceutical company, today announced that it will reintroduce AUVI-Q® (epinephrine injection, USP) auto-injector to the U.S. market in the first half of 2017. AUVI-Q is a prescription medicine used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people who are at risk for or have a history of serious allergic reactions.

“Today’s news represents an important milestone for the life-threatening allergy community, which has suffered from a lack of epinephrine auto-injector options for far too long,” said Evan Edwards, Vice President of Product Development & Industrialization at kaléo. “As the inventors of AUVI-Q, my brother and I have dedicated our lives to researching and developing an innovative epinephrine auto-injector that would do for severe allergy sufferers what the AEDs did for cardiac arrest in the community; namely a product that could assist and guide even an untrained user through a life-threatening emergency.”

AUVI-Q is a compact epinephrine auto-injector with industry-first features, including a voice prompt system that guides a user with step-by-step instructions through the delivery process, and a needle that automatically retracts following administration. AUVI-Q is engineered to help patients and their caregivers to confidently administer epinephrine in life-threatening allergic emergencies.

After regaining the rights to AUVI-Q, kaléo conducted a thorough manufacturing assessment and invested in new technology and quality systems to ensure accurate, reliable and consistent delivery from the product. AUVI-Q is manufactured on an intelligent, high-tech, 100% automated robotic production line with more than 100 automated quality checks on each AUVI-Q, ensuring a streamlined and consistent production process.

“For the millions affected by life-threatening food allergies, an epinephrine auto-injector serves as a lifeline,” said James R. Baker, Jr., MD, CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). “These lifesaving devices must be accessible and affordable, and Americans should have options when it comes to selecting the right auto-injector for their family.”

Eric Edwards M.D., Ph.D, Vice President, Product Strategy at kaléo, added, “As a patient and parent of children with life-threatening allergies, I know how the moment of an allergic emergency can unfold- with panic and fear- and that is why I believe and trust in AUVI-Q, not only for myself, but also for my children and other families who might have to depend on it. Driven by this reality, kaléo strives for flawless manufacturing to ensure each AUVI-Q is built to exceptional quality standards.”

Kaléo is aware of the epinephrine auto-injector access and affordability challenges confronting patients and is working to engage with various stakeholders, including wholesalers, insurance companies, pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers, to ensure that all patients regardless of insurance coverage, have affordable access to AUVI-Q.

“We believe that patients should have options when it comes to epinephrine auto-injectors for life-threatening allergic reactions,” said Spencer Williamson, President and CEO of kaléo. “When a health care practitioner prescribes AUVI-Q, determining that it is best for a patient, we believe that the patient should be able to obtain the product without insurance barriers or being subjected to a high out-of-pocket cost. As we prepare to make AUVI-Q available once again in the United States, our priority is to return AUVI-Q to the market as an epinephrine auto-injector alternative that all patients can afford.”

“We are very excited about patients once again having a choice in epinephrine auto-injectors,” said Eleanor Garrow-Holding, President and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT). “As food allergy advocates and families personally affected by food allergies, we understand that each person with food allergies has individual needs and comfort levels. Those living with life-threatening allergies deserve innovative products and choices that meet their individual needs. As such, we are grateful that patients will have options when selecting their potentially life-saving epinephrine auto-injector.”

Norsk Titanium Senior Vice President of Operations Chris Bohlmann said that MERKE IV Rapid Plasma Deposition unit was delivered in Plattsburgh Monday night. The machine and associated equipment came in two shipments, with installation underway Tuesday.

The work is taking place at the new Norsk Titanium Plattsburgh Demonstration and Qualification Center in Air Industrial Park in Plattsburgh. Installation is expected to take several weeks, he said.

RAPID QUALIFICATION

Bohlmann said the new center is expected to be operational by the end of 2016. It will eventually include several of the company’s proprietary 3D printing machines, but also equipment to support specification qualification of the titanium aerospace components produced, such as heat treating and machining.

“This is a facility Norsk Titanium is investing in for the purposes of demonstration and rapid qualification,” he said.

“It will be a place we can begin to train the workforce we need and allows us to get a jump start before we get into the production facility.

The various pieces of equipment will be part of Norsk’s “ultra-lean cell,’ a production line that converts electronic blueprints into finished aerospace parts in approximately 120 feet. That allows Norsk to make components much more rapidly than traditional forging and machining, a process that often takes months.

“We can make these components in a matter of hours or days,” Bohlmann said.

‘INVESTING HEAVILY’

The process also drastically reduces the amount of scrap created in the machining and finishing processes, as rapid plasma deposition results in pieces that are much closer to their finished shape, he said.

The potential time and cost reduction has attracted interest from a number of aerospace firms, as well as investors and suppliers.

While the machine and the others to follow were purchased by New York state, the remainder of the Qualification Center equipment and renovations are solely a Norsk Titanium investment.

“We are already investing heavily in the community,” Bohlmann said.

The main purpose of this facility is for demonstration of the process and qualification of components that will be produced starting in 2017.

It will offer a chance to showcase the Norsk technology and capabilities without the need to travel to Norway.

CERTIFICATION

Norsk does need ISO AS 9100 certification for the new facility, including its equipment and processes — aerospace companies require suppliers to have that rating, Bohlmann said.

The company is already on Boeing’s qualified producer list for parts produced in Norway. The Plattsburgh center would be added once it is ISO certified.

That will allow them to move forward with their certification needs and not be tied to the construction timetable of the production facility, Bohlmann said.

A couple more machines are scheduled to arrive early next year, he said. The company had previously announced the center would have up to 10 MERKE IV machines.

“The facility is large enough for us to satisfy production needs in the future if that’s what’s required,” Bohlmann said.

HIRING WORKERS

The 67,000-square-foot Qualification Center building on Martina Circle is under lease from the Development Corp.

“I can’t say enough about how they have helped us with this process,” Bohlmann said.

Local contractors and subcontractors are handling the bulk of the work there, including Luck Builders/Luck Brothers, Ace Electric, Hogan Refrigeration, Raville Painting and Architectural Engineering and Design Associates.

“These are all local companies,” he said.

The community has supported the project from the beginning, he said. It started with the North Country Chamber of Commerce, which brought the site to their attention and later set them up with vendors for services and workforce development programs.

Bohlmann said they have already identified a number of well-qualified employees. They have hired more than 10 so far, including some who are training in Norway to be able to operate this first machine in Plattsburgh.

The efforts to install the equipment in the new center will help the Norsk team gain proficiency as they prepare for the production facility, which is expected to be built next year.

“When you add all of that together, I think there’s going to be a very seamless and efficient startup,” he said.

]]>HGP – Cybersecurity Executive Mark Godschalk Joins ControlScan Board of Directorshttp://www.harbert.net/hgp-cybersecurity-executive-mark-godschalk-joins-controlscan-board-of-directors/
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 18:23:20 +0000http://www.harbert.net/?p=3521ATLANTA, Oct. 13, 2016 – ControlScan introduces Mark Godschalk as the newest addition to its Board of Directors. An accomplished cybersecurity executive, business leader and corporate investor, Godschalk’s strategic insights will help the ControlScan leadership team accelerate the company’s momentum as an emerging managed security service provider (MSSP) to mid-market companies. ControlScan is known for deploying secure technologies and processes in a way that achieves and even surpasses today’s compliance standards. The company’s addition of managed security services such as UTM Firewall and Log Monitoring and Management are presenting IT leaders with new options to successfully meet the challenges of today’s cybersecurity threats.

Godschalk has more than 20 years’ experience in both early stage and established enterprise software/SaaS companies. He spent a majority of this time in senior-level roles with security product and services organizations, establishing deep expertise in go-to-market strategy, product management, and corporate direction and development. Most recently Godschalk was Executive Director of Global Strategy, Innovation and Product Management for SecureWorks.

“ControlScan entered the MSSP market at just the right time and in a very meaningful way,” Godschalk said. “IT leaders and their organizations need access to full-service managed security—with technologies and processes for compliance baked in. ControlScan is doing just that, and I look forward to helping the company continue to innovate and succeed in this market.”

]]>HEGCF – B2X to Manage Global Customer Care for Microsoft Lumia Smartphones and Microsoft Feature Phoneshttp://www.harbert.net/hegcf-b2x-to-manage-global-customer-care-for-microsoft-lumia-smartphones-and-microsoft-feature-phones/
Fri, 07 Oct 2016 16:25:56 +0000http://www.harbert.net/?p=3471MUNICH, GERMANY–(Marketwired – Oct 5, 2016) – B2X, the leading technology-enabled provider of customer care services for mobile and consumer electronics, announced that it has been engaged by Microsoft as a global customer service partner for Lumia and Feature Phones manufactured by Microsoft. B2X serves as Microsoft’s primary aftersales partner and provides customer support and device repair services for the Lumia and feature phones, starting in October.

B2X provides one of the industry’s most seamless customer service experiences. Users of Microsoft Lumia smartphones and Microsoft feature phones gain access to a global multi-channel customer care ecosystem managed by B2X in more than 130 countries. This global service platform powered by B2X SMARTCARE Technology delivers instant solutions for all warranty and non-warranty related customer inquiries.

“We are extremely excited to provide one of the industry’s most comprehensive service and support offerings to people using Lumia and Microsoft feature phones,” said Dieter Weisshaar, Chief Commercial Officer of B2X. “With more than 400 service partners and 2,000 service locations globally, our customer care ecosystem and our SMARTCARE Technology are the ideal platform to serve the needs of these customers. We will make sure that customer support, reverse logistics and device repair services work seamlessly together, resulting in an exceptional customer experience.”

]]>HEGCF/HMP – Seek and Deployhttp://www.harbert.net/hegcfhmp-seek-and-deploy/
Mon, 03 Oct 2016 21:42:27 +0000http://www.harbert.net/?p=3463As the number of private debt funds entering the market increases, many are increasingly looking at more specialised strategies. Harbert explains to David Brooke why its long track record of investing in European high-growth companies and the US mid-Atlantic gives it the edge.